Koster aims to avoid 'bias' in tax cut bill stance

Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster broke his silence on one of the most controversial bills in the Missouri Legislature, a tax cut bill that Gov. Jay Nixon vetoed.

Republican lawmakers will try to override the veto when they get together next month in Jefferson City.

Supporters said the bill will help Missouri compete with Kansas for jobs and growth, but Nixon said the bill is flawed and will hurt the state.

Republicans have asked Koster whether he agrees with Nixon, a fellow Democrat, about whether the bill is flawed. Up until Tuesday, Koster had been saying "no comment."

"If I had waded into these waters, and then issued an opinion, somebody from the right or the left would take us on over a bias," Koster said.

He said he doesn't want his words to "color" the objective legal advice he gives to Republicans and Democrats in state government.

A top Republican operative tweeted that Koster was ducking the state's biggest issue. Koster said House Speaker Tim Jones will get an answer on his legal questions about the bill before next month's override session.

"In this case, the speaker has made a legal request, and he'll get a reply in the near future," he said.

KMBC 9's Micheal Mahoney said Koster promised a reply but didn't say he will get a legal opinion.

Republican lawmakers will have a number of bills to deal with during the override session, since Nixon vetoed more bills this year than he did in any year of his first term.

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